Yarn bobbin



May 3, 1949. A. CARLSON YARN BOBBIN Filed March 21, 1947 I INVENTOR.

Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE YARN BOBBIN Lyle A. Carlson, Oakville, Conn.

Application March 21, 1947, Serial No. 736,345

4 Claims.

This invention relates to bobbins for holding and dispensing yarn, thread or string, or the like, and particularly one for use where one is hand knitting articles having a variety of colors.

One object of this invention is to provide a bobbin of simple construction which holds yarn without danger of being accidentally unwound, but upon which the yarn is easily wound and from which the yarn may be easily released as used.

Another object is to construct a bobbin of the above character, being of symmetrical shape and comprising a pair of opposed inwardly directed arcuate portions joined by a connecting bar and having their distal ends held in spaced relationship to provide for relatively narrow opposed openings through which the material may be conveniently wound and unwound from the connecting bar. Another feature of this particular construction is that when the bobbin is loaded with yarn or like material it will be off balanced when held in suspended position so that the wound material will not be easily unwound therefrom by accident.

These and other objects will become evident upon inspection of the invention which is shown in the accompanying drawings and described particularly as follows:

Fig. 1 of the drawing is a front view of the bobbin constructed of a thin flat material.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2A of the drawing shows a bobbin constructed as in Fig. 1 upon which a quantity of yarn has been wound and which illustrates a typical position assumed by the bobbin While in use.

Fig. 3 is a front View of the bobbin, showing an alternative construction wherein the bobbin is made from material of circular cross section, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line BB of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1, 2 and 2A show the preferred construction of a bobbin made of flat sheet material and which comprises two arcuate members III, I lying in the same plane with their concave portions opposed and joined at the midpoints of their concave sections by a fiat cross or connecting bar II. The cross bar II is of suflicient length to maintain the extreme or distal ends of arcuate members Ill, It! in relative narrow spaced relationship and provide for openings I2, I2. The cross bar II together with arcuate members I0, I!) form two semi-circular chamber areas I3, I3 on opposite sides of bar II,

and which areas provide adequate room for the material Wound and accumulated upon said bar II.

In charging the bobbin for use, one end of the yarn or material I4, is first caught upon the cross bar It in any convenient manner and then wound about said bar II in numerous turns through openings I2, I2 until a sufiicient quantity of yarn has been accumulated within the areas I3, I3.

In use the bobbin is suspended by the free end of the yarn I4 in the manner as best seen in Fig. 2A. As the yarn is used, additional yarn is released by unwinding manually through the relatively narrow openings I2, I2. A particular feature of this bobbin is that, while in use the bobbin will usually be suspended by the free end of the yarn and in the natural tendency for the yarn to unwind from the ball-like accumulation of yarn on the cross bar II, the bobbin will seek an oiT-balanced position so that the openings I2, I2 more frequently will assume any angular position other than the vertical. It is only when openings I2, [2 are in a vertical position that the yarn passes through the openings. Since the openings I 2, I2 constitute only a small portion of the total circumference of the bobbin, the mathematical probability of the openings I2, I2 being in a vertical position is small and the possibility of the yarn slipping through openings I2, I2 unless guided by hand is very remote.

In the alternative construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the bobbin is of the same symmetrical shape as illustrated in the preferred construction, except here all parts of the bobbin are made of round stock instead of fiat stock, and comprises the opposed arcuate portions I0, I0 connected together by the cross bar II and allowing for the relatively narrow openings I2, I2 at the extreme ends of said arcuate portions I0, Ill. The usual semi-circular chamber areas I3, I3 are like provided on opposite sides of the cross bar II for the accumulation of the material wound upon said bar II.

While the bobbin here disclosed in two forms has been designed for use particularly with yarn as a convenience in the knitting of articles employing a variety of colored yarns, it is also within the purview of this invention to employ the bobbin as a holder for carpenters line cords, plumb bob cord retainers and other uses where it is desired to have a retainer for a quick accumulation or discharge for a cord of general usage, but which cannot be easily and accidentally unwound from the bobbin.

Furthermore, it should be understood that the sides of the bobbin represented by the arcuate portions I0 and I0 need not necessarily be true arcs, inasmuch as they may be of other shapes but still be symmetrical and joined at their mid portions and with their distal ends in slightly spaced relationship relative to each other and still be within the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A bobbin for use with yarn or like material comprising "a pair of semi-circular elements, ;a cross bar joined 'tosaid elemeritsat their midconcave sections and of a length to hold said semi-circular elements so that their adjacent ends are in narrowly spaced relationship but-wide enough to allow the material wound on said cross bar to freely pass between said spaced ends, and said cross bar and semi-circular elements lying in a common plane.

2. A bobbin for use with yarn or like material comprising a stamping made from flat sheet material having fiat inwardl-y'directed arcuate :sec-

tions and a flat cross bar joiningasaidYarcuatevsections at their mid-position and of a length '00 space the distal ends oi said areu'atesections in relatively narrow spaced relationship but wide enough to allow the'material wound on sai'd cross bar to freely p'assbetween said spaced ends, and said cross bar and semi--'circular elemen-ts dying in a common plane.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair ofopposed-arcuate-membersand a cross bar joining said memberstogether-with their concave portions in adjacent-relationship,

said cross bar and arcuate members being made of fiat sheet-like material and lying in a common plane, said cross bar serving as a spool for winding material thereupon, and said arcuate members defining areas within which said material is wound, and the ends of said members being spaced so as to allow the material wound on said cross bar to freely pass therebetween.

4. A device of the character'described comprising a ipair of opposed ramuate mienibers and a cr'oss bar joining said *members together with their concave portions in adjacent relationship, said cross bar and arcuate members being constructed of round stock throughout their entire lengths, said cross bar serving as a spool for winding material thereupon, and said arcuate imembers definingareas within which said material is wound, and the ends of said members beingspaced so as to allow the material wound on said cross bar to freelypass therebetween.

i-A. GARLSQN.

:REFERENCES CI'DED The following references-are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES BATENTS Number Name We 1, 27517'35 Phillips I3, .1918 3 2,167,541 Young July 25,-21939 "2,287,368 Anderson June"I23,' 1942 2,364,262 Wehringer Dec. *5, 

